She's a beautiful young widow. He's a charming Charleston gentleman with a notorious past. Both need a place to call home.

After years of mourning the death of her young husband and longing for a family of her own, Carrie Daly has promised to wed bookstore owner Nate Chastain. But questions about his true feelings for her cause her to hesitate.

When arguments with her brother's wife force her from the family farm to the run-down Verandah Ladies' Hotel, Carrie determines to make a new life in town. Then she meets newcomer Griff Rutledge and, despite the disapproval of nearly everyone, is immediately drawn to him. Could he be the one for whom she's waited so long?

Charlestonian Griffin Rutledge, scion of a low country rice planter, former blockade runner, gambler, and horseman, arrives in Hickory Ridge to collect an old debt before heading off to try his luck in Australia. Estranged from his family for years, Griff is a loner and likes it that way. Offered the opportunity to train a magnificent Thoroughbred for the local banker, he settles down . . . temporarily. But a chance meeting with Carrie triggers a chain of events that causes him to question his choices. Maybe God brought him to Hickory Ridge-and to Carrie-for a reason.